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Sept 3
Bryce Canyon offers a free shuttle bus service that takes you to the various outlooks in the park. We were at the visitors center in time to take the guided tour to Rainbow Point at the south end of Bryce Canyon. The driver was very knowledgeable and talked about everything from the animals in the park to the plants and rock formations. We went to all the outlooks on the south end of the park. When we got back at 1:30, it started to rain hard, so we went back to the hotel and waited for it to blow over. A couple of hours later we went on the "must see" hike in Bryce Canyon. If you don't hike down to the canyon floor so that you're amongst the hoodoos, you're missing an exciting part of the park. I had read that you should hike down the Navajo Loop side and back up the Garden Staircase because it's an easier climb. That was definitely good advice because it was a steady steep descent and you are facing the area with the most hoodoos, fins and spires, so I felt that was the best view. Absolutely breathtaking scenery! It was really exciting to hike down, not because it was treacherous, but because of the scenery. Antelope Canyon has been on my bucket list for awhile and that is similar to what I think that's like. It's no wonder it's the number 1 hike! It was an easy 3 mile loop and a must do! Ranks right near the top of list of scenery in the world!In Bryce Canyon there's a hike named Bristlecone Pine loop. This is the only hike focused on the forest instead of rocks. Some of the Bristlecone Pines there are 1800 years old! Babies compared to some in Utah that are up to 5000 years old.These trees are able to withstand even the harshest windswept environments. They like to grow in the worst soil because nothing else will grow there and compete with it for nutrients. If the main trunk dies, a single branch can continue to grow and then becomes the main trunk-very adaptive! The tree looks twisted because of the way it grows. If a portion of the roots become exposed, the section of the tree that receives nutrients from that area of the roots also dies. The tree can also extend its life by shutting down metabolism to certain branches while the rest of the tree continues to grow. Other pine trees drop their needles every few years while the Bristlecone Pine keeps its needles for 40 years! Their branches look like a bottle brush.You can also find Limber Pines in the park. They are so named because their needles are so limber that they can be tied in a knot without breaking.There are a lot of Ponderosa Pines throughout Utah. They can grow to 100-150 feet tall and live to be 600 years old. You'll know you're in their vicinity because it smells like cookies baking, vanilla-like, or even like cinnamon. When these trees are young they have black bark. Once they grow to around 100-120 years old, the black bark peels off and exposes the yellow bark which is what emits the smell.The park also has numerous other pine trees, spruce, Douglas Fir and white pine.There's and abundance of a silvery green plant with yellow flowers on the top. It's called rabbit brush. The Indians would cut the tops off and make a tea from the stems. Tour guide recommended skipping that.Another odd plant here is the Greenleaf Manzanita. It's leaves are vertical on the plant instead of horizontal. This reduces its exposure to the sun and keeps snow from weighing the leaves down. It grows pink flowers in the spring and berries. The berries have been used for food and the leaves for natural remedies and antiseptics. The tour guide said the leaves of the manzanita plant are great for relieving dry mouth while you hike. You put a leaf between your cheek and gums like snuff, but don't chew it. I tried it, it works!
Great day!
Bryce Canyon offers a free shuttle bus service that takes you to the various outlooks in the park. We were at the visitors center in time to take the guided tour to Rainbow Point at the south end of Bryce Canyon. The driver was very knowledgeable and talked about everything from the animals in the park to the plants and rock formations. We went to all the outlooks on the south end of the park. When we got back at 1:30, it started to rain hard, so we went back to the hotel and waited for it to blow over. A couple of hours later we went on the "must see" hike in Bryce Canyon. If you don't hike down to the canyon floor so that you're amongst the hoodoos, you're missing an exciting part of the park. I had read that you should hike down the Navajo Loop side and back up the Garden Staircase because it's an easier climb. That was definitely good advice because it was a steady steep descent and you are facing the area with the most hoodoos, fins and spires, so I felt that was the best view. Absolutely breathtaking scenery! It was really exciting to hike down, not because it was treacherous, but because of the scenery. Antelope Canyon has been on my bucket list for awhile and that is similar to what I think that's like. It's no wonder it's the number 1 hike! It was an easy 3 mile loop and a must do! Ranks right near the top of list of scenery in the world!In Bryce Canyon there's a hike named Bristlecone Pine loop. This is the only hike focused on the forest instead of rocks. Some of the Bristlecone Pines there are 1800 years old! Babies compared to some in Utah that are up to 5000 years old.These trees are able to withstand even the harshest windswept environments. They like to grow in the worst soil because nothing else will grow there and compete with it for nutrients. If the main trunk dies, a single branch can continue to grow and then becomes the main trunk-very adaptive! The tree looks twisted because of the way it grows. If a portion of the roots become exposed, the section of the tree that receives nutrients from that area of the roots also dies. The tree can also extend its life by shutting down metabolism to certain branches while the rest of the tree continues to grow. Other pine trees drop their needles every few years while the Bristlecone Pine keeps its needles for 40 years! Their branches look like a bottle brush.You can also find Limber Pines in the park. They are so named because their needles are so limber that they can be tied in a knot without breaking.There are a lot of Ponderosa Pines throughout Utah. They can grow to 100-150 feet tall and live to be 600 years old. You'll know you're in their vicinity because it smells like cookies baking, vanilla-like, or even like cinnamon. When these trees are young they have black bark. Once they grow to around 100-120 years old, the black bark peels off and exposes the yellow bark which is what emits the smell.The park also has numerous other pine trees, spruce, Douglas Fir and white pine.There's and abundance of a silvery green plant with yellow flowers on the top. It's called rabbit brush. The Indians would cut the tops off and make a tea from the stems. Tour guide recommended skipping that.Another odd plant here is the Greenleaf Manzanita. It's leaves are vertical on the plant instead of horizontal. This reduces its exposure to the sun and keeps snow from weighing the leaves down. It grows pink flowers in the spring and berries. The berries have been used for food and the leaves for natural remedies and antiseptics. The tour guide said the leaves of the manzanita plant are great for relieving dry mouth while you hike. You put a leaf between your cheek and gums like snuff, but don't chew it. I tried it, it works!
Great day!
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